Hold Me Against the Light
by sylvanius
Summary: Two years after Deepground Yuffie, Vincent and the other members of AVALANCHE are finally settling down when a new force emerges that threatens to tear down everything they've worked for. With the odds stacked against them this could be the breaking point
1. The Long Road Home

**First of all, here are the things you need to know for the set up of the story. (There may be more but this is all I can think of right now, I'll add any others I think of in later)**

**1. Set two years after DoC, this would put Yuffie at 20 years of age.**

**2. Yuffie left the WRO a year after DoC so a year before the beginning of this fic. **

**3. This will _most_ likely be Yuffentine. However, I am not going to force it if it doesn't seem to be happening. **

**Also, this is going to be quite a long fic and it's also my first time tackling something of this magnitude. I have another (in a different fandom) that is over 50,000 words but it's quite different in that my my chapters are only about 1,000 words on average (I am aiming to at least double if not triple that length for each of these chapters) it's plot is FAR simpler and this is my first time tackling a fic in which a lot of action scenes will be present. _As such I am on the hunt for a beta reader_. Basically someone who doesn't mind Yuffentine, long chapters, rather complex plot and has a strength in action scened. I am looking through the beta section for someone but anyone who reads this and is interested, let me know!**

**Disclaimer: Not mine, all Square Enix....or Squaresoft...or Square...or whatever they were when the game was made.**

* * *

**Chapter 1: The Long Road Home**

* * *

The stars were beginning to appear one by one over Cosmo Canyon as the last light of day faded on the horizon. The smell of charcoal filled the air as the bonfire was stoked to keep the small group lingering around it warm. On one side a young ninja stretched out, wiggling her bare toes in front of the warmth of the fire as she lazily lay back and stroked a large red animal.

"Are you sure you wish to leave tomorrow? You're welcome to stay for a few days." Red XIII stated as Yuffie continued to stroke his fur wondering whether or not he could purr.

"Yeah, I need to be in Edge soon and I want to go see Cid's kid first." Yuffie yawned.

"Oh yes, I think Tifa may already be planning a get together so that everyone can see the child together." Red stated, settling into a more comfortable position.

"Probably, my bet is that Cid asked her to do it so that everyone could brainstorm for a name. I mean seriously, two weeks old and no name? I bet it can already swear up a storm though." Yuffie yawned again, louder this time, as Red chuckled.

"Do you wish for me to accompany you to Rocket Town? You'll have to cross mount Nibel and traveling is much more perilous without the aid of materia."

"Nah, I'll be fine, I've been traveling for a while now. It's not as bad as you would think."

"As you wish." He paused for a moment as Yuffie toyed with his fringe before continuing. "We were all surprised you left the WRO, what have you been doing since then?" He felt the girl stiffen slightly though she tried to hide it.

"Aw, you know; this and that." She grinned suddenly holding his fringe between two hands. "You know, you're mohawks gotten a lot mohawk-ier. Is our little Nanaki growing up?" Red rolled his eyes and shook the girl off as she continued to make 'awing' noises and resettled himself a few feet from her.

"Apparently I'm the only one who has grown up." He stated once he had found a comfortable position once more and the girl stuck out her tongue at him. The two carried on discussing what the others in the group has been up to lately before settling into a comfortable silence until the two said goodnight and Yuffie promised to visit again soon.

* * *

The next morning Yuffie woke up a little before dawn to get ready for her journey. She wanted to get to Rocket Town by dark since there was absolutely no way she was staying in Nibleheim, she didn't care how long at had been those clones in the black cloaks still freaked her out and she had no desire to be anywhere that they had. She pulled on her shorts and green top as well as her boots before strapping on the rest of her equipment, arm guards (that were looking a bit ragged) and a carrier that strapped diagonally across her chest that would hold her conformer on her back (The metal that held her weapon was beginning to rust). She winced looked over herself in the mirror, realizing it was definitely time to invest in some new equipment. Stifling a yawn she grabbed a brush and ran it through her hair, that had now past her shoulders, and scooped it up into a ponytail that brushed the nape of her neck before tying a headband around her head to keep the front layers of her hair out of her face. After one last look in the mirror she hooked her conformer onto her back and headed outside.

Yuffie had to shield her eyes as she headed down the steps from the canyon, the harsh morning light painful to her. When she was almost at the bottom she paused, checking her equipment once more, when a flash in the corner of her vision caught her eye. She spun quickly only to see a figure retreat back into the main body of the camp and she shook her head, trying to rid herself of the feeling she had gotten upon seeing them. It was just early and she was being paranoid. Deciding not to waste anymore time she took a deep breath and ran off into the desert towards Nibleheim.

* * *

Yuffie practically shouted with joy upon seeing the outline of Rocket Town in the distance against the setting sun. She had practically run half of the way there in order to make it by nightfall and had come into a run in with bomb fiends a couple times. She had forgotten how much she _hated_ them. Well, he certainly remembered now she thought as a relatively minor burn on her arm twinged once again. She set of at a sprint towards the town, searing that if Cid didn't treat her good and proper she would flush his cigarettes again, he_ hated_ that.

Finally reaching Cid's house she opened the door and half tumbled in without knocking.

"Never fear! The great ninja Yuffie, single white rose of Wutai, savior of the people and champion of light is here!" She proclaimed in a stage whisper as she waved her hands in, what she believed, was a very dramatic manner. Shera and Cid, who were sitting at the kitchen table merely stared at her open mouthed and Yuffie waited for Cid's cigarette to fall out and burn him. Finally Cid broke the silence.

"What the hell are you doing here kid and why the fuck are you whispering?" He said loudly as Shera shushed him, glancing down the hall.

"Uh, well, I'm just going to ignore the first one since I know you are all absolutely overjoyed to see me and I was whispering because I assumed the baby would be asleep. It is asleep isn't it?" Yuffie glared at him suspiciously.

"Oh yeah, he's asleep." Cid said, looking guilty as Shera glared at him. "Well come in and sit down, you look wiped." He said, waving at her to come over and she complied practically collapsing into one of the chairs.

"I am, I left Cosmo Canyon this morning."

"Oh, Yuffie, what happened to your arm?" Shera had gotten up and noticed the burn on her left arm.

"Oh, it's nothing really. Had a little run in with a couple bombs." She grimaced and Cid mirrored her expression.

"I'll go get you a potion and a bandage." Shera said as she quickly left the room.

"Just a potion will be fine!" Yuffie called out to her but there was no reply. "She really liked to take care of people doesn't she?" The ninja asked Cid and the pilot nodded, a small smile on his face.

"Yeah, she's pretty gifted that way." He continued to smile and Yuffie couldn't think of anything to say, shocked with the pilots moment of truthfulness. Eventually Shera came back and handed Yuffie a potion, which she promptly drank and felt the effects of immediately, and began to unroll the bandage when a cry tore through the house.

"Oh, he's up again. I'll be right back." Shera left the room and went down the hall.

"Loud, takes after you I see." Yuffie grinned as the older man shot her a look. Soon the cries died down and Shera came into the room, holding a small bundle in her arms.

"He just needs be rocked for a bit. Yuffie, would you like to hold him?" Shera asked, kindly, and Yuffie shook her head quickly.

"Uh, not really my thing but thanks, hand him to grumpy over there." She cocked a thumb towards Cid before beginning to rummage around in her pockets. "That reminds me, I brought a gift!" She said, excited.

"You didn't have to do that." Shera said as the same time that Cid stated "It'd better be damn good kid!"

It took Yuffie a few moments but finally she pulled the object out of one of her pockets. Shera and Cid stared at it, both with different expressions on their face.

"But, I thought you didn't use materia anymore?" Shera asked, confused.

"Normally no but I think there are some exceptions." She put the string around the infants head and his small hand clutched at the mastered enemy away materia that dangled from it. Cid just smiled down at his son and nodded his head.

"It keeps enemies away Shera, it's definitely an exception." He paused for a moment, rocking the infant a bit. "Thank you Yuffie." Yuffie smiled back, thinking of something.

"He's a bit small to have it as a necklace right now but you guys can do what you want with it. It's no big deal really, I had it around and I thought it would be more useful here than wasting away in a box somewhere." There was a pause for a moment before Yuffie continued, a grin on her face. "So, what are you guys gonna name him?" Yuffie laughed as Shera rolled her eyes, exasperated, and walked away from Cid.

"What?" Cid asked, annoyance clear in his voice. "I told you we're not naming him after your grandfather. What kind of name is Winston?" He shot at her and Shera whirled around to glare at him.

"Well I am not naming him Cid jr. How egotistical can you get?"

"Egotistical-" Cid's temper began to rise before a wail form his son cut him short. In an instant both he and Shera were over him, crooning away, until he calmed down. After a moment Shera continued calmly.

"We haven't decided yet."

* * *

Yuffie lay awake in bed that night despite her exhaustion. She would stay with Cid for a day, maybe two, then her next stop was Edge and more importantly the WRO. Had it really been two years to the day since then? She rolled over, trying to expel the thoughts from her mind. Two years though, it should be easier by now. Maybe she had been too hard on Vincent all those times if this is what it was like. She let out a moan of frustration, the two situations had nothing to do with one another. Though the thoughts stayed with her she finally drifted off into a troubled sleep.

* * *

"Hey brat!" Cid's voice cut through the air and woke Yuffie who had been dozing off on the deck. "You said you were heading to Edge?"

"Aw, you listened, I knew you cared." She winked at him and he scowled.

"Why don't you bring Cloud's chocobo back to him. He's been on my ass to bring him back but I don't really feel like going that far away right now." He jerked his thumb in the direction of the golden chocobo that was corralled off the side of the house.

"I'm your girl smoky! Plus as an added bonus with all the time you've just cut off my trip I can stay here a few more days." She grinned up at him as he muttered to himself for a moment before taking a seat next to her.

"So you just saw Red? How's the old fur ball doing?"

"Red, furry, pretty much the same. They found a whole secret room a few weeks back that was filled with all these old records on the planet and stuff so he's been going through them and organizing them and stuff."

"I figured he must be busy, he hasn't visited in a while."

"Yeah, well I think he's itching for some company. Hey, I know!" Yuffie jumped out of her chair with enough force to cause Cid to yelp and drop his cigarette. "Why don't you take Shera and the nameless wonder and fly down there for a day or two! I bet Red would love to see him!" She said, spinning around to clutch the guard rail of the porch as Cid pulled out another cigarette and lit it.

"That's not a half bad idea." He said, the sound muffled by the cigarette between his teeth. "I'll see what Shera thinks. Might be nice to get out of the goddamn house for a while, I miss the airship."

"So what's old Reeve been up to without his star pilot anyway?" She said, looking out across the town.

"Probably about as well as he's done without his head of espionage, what the fuck happened there kid? You just up and left, no one even heard from you for months. You had Tifa scared shitless."

"Sorry about that, I guess I'll have to tell her that in person. I did call her though, after a bit. I just got distracted, you know? It had been a while since I got to just travel and go whee I wanted to, haven't been able to do that since before meteor."

"You still haven't said what happened." Cid said flatly.

"Nothing really, it was a" Yuffie paused, searching for the words "Mutual decision between me and Reeve. I might go back, someday."

"Right" Cid snorted "For a ninja you're one hell of a crap liar kid." He got up to leave and Yuffie spun to glare at him.

"Hey, why don't you believe me?" She half yelled, her face red. "You know what? I'm going to go right now and tell Shera that I think Winston is a _lovely_ name and not to back down." The ninja ducked by Cid to run into the house and the pilot sped after her, yelling threats.

* * *

A few days later Yuffie was making her way across the continent on the golden chocobo. A few hours in she had decided to try and amuse herself by coming up with a name for it.

"Buttercup, Kibble, Spiky. Hey, Spiky, I like it; maybe I should just call it Cloud. Kind of looks like him, just prettier." Suddenly the sound of her phone going off cut into her ramblings and she answered it after seeing Tifa's number on the caller ID.

"Hey boobs!" Yuffie said cheerily and she could practically _feel_ the scowl from the other end.

"Hey Yuffie, nice to see you haven't lost your charm." The older woman said sarcastically.

"It is nice to know that some things are always constant, isn't it?" Yuffie replied, happily ignoring the sarcasm and Tifa chuckled slightly.

"Cid called, he said you're bringing the chocobo?"

"Yup, I'm riding Cloud as we speak." There was a pause and Yuffie spoke again "Tifa?"

"You're riding Cloud?"

"Yeah, I named the chocobo Cloud and" Yuffie paused as her words registered and her next reply was so violent it startled the poor chocobo. "Oh gross-ness, Tifa!"

"You're the one who said it, I'll let Cloud know when he gets back."

"Tifa, don't you dare!" Yuffie practically whined through the phone as the older woman laughed.

"Alright, alright. I just called to make sure you're staying for a while right?"

"Yeah, a few days at least."

"Nope, a while. We've hardly seen you in the last year so you'll have to make this a long visit alright? At least stay until I can get everyone together to see Cid's new kid, was he cute?"

"The cutest, he's got Shera's eyes and Cid's lungs."

"Har har, when are you going to get here?"

"In a while, I have another stop to make first."

"Where?"

"Er, the WRO. Just something I need to do there."

"Oh, that's right. It's been two years now hasn't it?"

"Yeah, anyway, I'm about to hit Costa de Sol so I'll see you in a while."

* * *

Yuffie slipped through the hallways of the WRO headquarters weaving her way in and out of the many corridors expertly thought she hadn't been there in almost a year. Finally, descending into the lower levels, she reached her destination. She walked slowly into the room, despite it's high ceiling it's somber colors made it feel small. There were candles lit all around the room, some had flowers next to them or notes. The wall on the furthest side of the room bore what seemed to be an endless list of names. The words engraved at the top were hard to make out in the shadows but the words 'In memory' and 'Deepground' could be made out. She stepped up to the wall and placed her hand over a name, her finger running over the familiar curve of the 'J'.

"Hey again, sorry I haven't visited in a while" She stood there for what could have been hours or maybe only minutes before taking a deep strangled breath. "I wanted to tell you-" She broke of, hearing footsteps behind her and whirled to see Reeve standing in the doorway.

"Yuffie" He stated, shock evident in his voice. His eyes flicked to where her hand was placed and he looked down as she quickly stepped away from the wall.

"Hey Reevey, How's it going?" The ninja said through a forced smile.

"Yuffie" Reeve began slowly but more footsteps approached and Vincent Valentine appeared next to Reeve.

"Yuffie." He sated flatly upon seeing her, no surprise just acceptance.

"Well if it isn't Vinny Valentine. Still hanging around here are you?" She said, actually somewhat glad to see him despite the timing. She walked over to the two of them, hoping that they could all move to a new location.

"It appears so. You haven't been around much." He said, peering at her over the edge of his cloak, something about the gaze was searching and she caught him glance over to the spot where she had previously stood.

"Yeah, I've been traveling. I'm visiting now though, aren't you all so lucky?" She nudged them each in the ribs. "Tifa's planning a get together anyway, so we'll have the whole gang together soon!"

"That sounds like fun." Reeve supplied while Vincent merely nodded.

"I just came to get you Reeve, Shelke wants you to come with me and visit." Vincent stated simply as he turned to Reeve who glanced at Yuffie quickly before replying.

"Well, I'm free so we can leave when you want." He said with a note of unease in his voice as Yuffie looked down, her hands clenched into fists.

"Yuffie, do you wish to come?" Vincent asked, staring down at her once more with a look that quickly turned to confusion when he saw her stance.

"No" She snapped at him before shaking herself and looking up at him with a smile plastered onto her face. "Sorry, I just meant I need to be getting to Tifa's, she's waiting. I'll see you guys later." She waved as she sprinted away from them, already halfway down the hall.

* * *

"Yuffie!" Tifa partially yelled as the young ninja walked through the door of seventh heaven. The older woman ran to her and hugged her before leaning back to get a god look at her. "You're letting your hair grow out! You look so pretty!" Tifa smiled at her and Yuffie blushed at her looking away and mumbling that it was nothing special. "Did you get here alright?"

"Yeah, Cloud's tied up in the back, do whatever you want with him." Yuffie winked at her and Tifa looked confused until she remembered the chocobo and glared at Yuffie.

"Not funny."

"So where's Marlene? No excitement to see me? I'm heartbroken." Yuffie sprawled dramatically across the counter.

"She's not here. Barrett brought her to see Corel, he's been doing a lot to help them fix it up you know." Tifa picked up a dish rag and began drying off some glasses.

"That's good, he didn't get to see her for a while."

"Yeah, he's really happy about that. They should be coming back soon though."

"What about Denzel?"

"Out with Cloud. Cloud had a delivery to make to the market to Denzel thought he might be able to talk Cloud into buying him a sword." Tifa rolled her eyes and Yuffie laughed.

"Still set on joining the WRO I take it?"

"Dead set." Tifa sighed. "I suppose someday he will but he's still to young right now."

"Well, he's what? Eleven or Twelve. That's a little young but I was fifteen when we went after Sephiroth remember? It's not that far away."

"I guess you're right." Tifa sighed again. "At least Marlene doesn't want to fight?"

"Really? Here I always thought she would be a warrior princess. Now who am I going to teach all my ninja skills to?" Yuffie pouted as Tifa laughed.

"Nope, she said she wanted to sell flowers actually." The two women sat in silence for a moment, soft smiles gracing their features.

"I could see her doing that." Yuffie said softly and Tifa nodded.

"Me too" Just then the door swung open and Denzel came crashing in.

"Tifa, Tifa! Cloud got me a sword, a _real_ sword! He's going to teach me how to fight, right Cloud?" Cloud stepped in, holding a long wrapped package over one shoulder and looking surprised to see Yuffie.

"Hey Spiky!" Yuffie waved happily.

"Oh hey Yuffie!" Denzel said quickly before turning back to Cloud. "Come on Cloud!" With that Denzel ran into the hallway, presumably to go out the back door.

"Cloud Strife!" Tifa hissed and Cloud shot the barmaid a sheepish look.

"It's a really simply weapon Tifa besides if he's so dead set on fighting I should at least teach him how." When Tifa looked unimpressed he continued. "I'm only going to teach him simple moves alright? Mostly defensive, everything will be fine." Finally Tifa sighed.

"You're right."

"Oh hey, Cloud, I tied Cloud up in the back for you." Yuffie grinned at him and he shot her a confused look as Denzel came tearing back into the room.

"Cloud, come on!" He yanked on the mans sleeve and began pulling him down the hall.

"She named the chocobo Cloud." Tifa supplied as he continued to look confused causing his look of consternation to turn into nothing more than a very strange look directed at Yuffie.

"Right, thanks." He paused, looking at her strangely again before finishing. "Yuffie."

"Cloud, come _on_!" Cloud sighed and the two women listened as they moved down the hall.

"Alright Denzel, let's mosey."

"Barret says that's a lame ass thing to say."

"Denzel!" When the back door slammed Tifa shook her head and looked back at Yuffie who was laughing hysterically.

"Aw, I've missed it around here."

"Well you should visit more, you're even behind Vincent." Tifa said, eying the younger woman.

"Wow, really?"

"Yeah, well I mean it's not like he's mister chatty or even sociable by normal standards but for him there's been a real change. He drops in every now and then or calls. He's around the area a lot more now though since Shelke lives in Kalm. He and Reeve kind of see it as their responsibility to take care of her."

"Right, Shelke." Yuffie muttered and Tifa shot her a look.

"What's so bad about Shelke?"

"Nothing, it doesn't matter." When Tifa continued to look at her she shook her head. "I guess I just don't get along with her that much, just because Vincent is so crazy about her doesn't mean I have to be."

"Vincent's not crazy about her like tha-" The phone let out a wring and Tifa cut off to answer it.

"Seventh He-" She paused, her brows knitting. "Cid? Wh-" Tifa's hand flew to her mouth and she nodded a few times before resetting the phone and beginning to dial another number.

"Yuffie, go get Cloud. Red's been attacked."

* * *

**Review please! I would love some feedback. Also since this is going to be a rather in depth fic pot wise that does introduce some original characters (not like I can have themfight Sephiroth again, right?) I've done some character sketches (we are talking like...reeeally sketchy..like...ten minutes a piece kind of things) so I was considering putting them up on my homepage as I introduce new characters...I have a couple I did of Yuffie with her longer hair...and a few different outfits..anyway..just a thought..if anyone's interested let me know and I'll see what I can do about posting them.**


	2. Same Place as Yesterday

**Sorry I've been gone so long...i meant to update this ages ago..anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 2: Same Place as Yesterday

* * *

"Why aren't they here yet?" Yuffie asked, her voice low, as she wrung her hands together.

"They'll be here soon." Tifa replied as she washed the same glass for what must have been the tenth time.

"Tifa, relax." Cloud said as he came into the bar from one of the rooms. "If something else had happened to Red they would have called." He placed a hand on Tifa's shoulder and Yuffie looked away getting the feeling that it was a private moment.  "Oh Yuffie!" Tifa said, surprised, and the ninja looked up, confused. "You're all dirty; I should have had you change clothes earlier." Tifa was staring at Yuffie's clothes and she looked down at herself. She was covered in a thin layer of dust from travelling and her clothes didn't exactly look good to begin with.

"That's alright Teef, I didn't really bring anything else."

"You can borrow something of mine while those are being washed." Tifa grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the bathroom as Yuffie dubiously considered what Tifa could possible have that would fit her.

A while later Yuffie was dressed in a pair of shorts that were barely held up by a belt and a white take top that was tied in the back so she wouldn't accidently flash anyone. Not that she had anything to flash with really. As she dragged a brush through her hair she heard voices from the main bar. Dropping the brush she ran out to see Cid talking to Barret as Marlene sat on her father's lap.

"Cid, where's Red?" Yuffie practically shouted as she raced forward.

"He's in the fucking guest room, calm the fuck down woman." Cid growled back, he looked exhausted.

"You calm the fuck down you crazy old loon, how is he?" Yuffie hissed back, crossing her arms. Cid opened his mouth to speak but Barret cut him off.

"He'll be fine; they managed to do most of the healing on the way here. He just needs some sleep now."

"What happened?" This time it was Marlene who spoke. "No one's said what happened yet." She looked up at Cid who ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

"I don't know yet kid, we'll have to wait until Red wakes up." Cid turned and walked into the room that Yuffie assumed Red was in.

"Are you going to go see him?" Marlene asked, looking up at Yuffie and the young woman shook her head.

"I'll go in when it's a little less crowded."

"Good idea. All kind's of people hovering in there." Came Cid's gruff voice as he reappeared from the room, holding his son.

"So kid, where've you been?" It took Yuffie a moment to realize that Barret had been talking to her and when she did she looked at the ground.

"Oh, you know. Here and there; everywhere really." She shrugged, hoping he would drop the subject, but he continued.

"Come on kid, why've you really been-" He was cut off however when the door to the bar burst open and Vincent came storming in with his usual dramatics.

"How's Red?" He asked simply.

"He's going to be okay!." Marlene said right away and Vincent nodded to her, simple accepting it, and took a seat near the edge of the room.

"That's good to hear." Reeve sat entered and sat next to Barret. "I suppose we'll have to wait a longer while until we can get any information from him?" He asked and Marlene nodded.

"Where are the others?" Came a voice that caused Yuffie to clench her hands into a fist. Shelke walked calmly in and took a seat next to Vincent. "Hello Yuffie Kisaragi, I mean, Yuffie." Shelke faltered a bit in her speech and Yuffie raised and eyebrow. Apparently she was trying to lose some of her creepy-ass habits.

"I'm going to go see what's going on." Yuffie said sharply as she stood and sped quickly to the bathroom.

Yuffie leaned against the door to the bathroom, breathing heavily. She had to get control, that's what being a ninja was about after all, right? Well. She was a damn good ninja. It took her a few moments but eventually she managed to calm her breathing and control her anger. She stood slowly and straightened her clothes, preparing to go out. She ran a hand through her still damp hair to get it out of her face; she forgot how annoying it was to not be wearing her headband. Luckily she was able to slip back into the bar unnoticed since Tifa, Shera, Cloud and Denzel had reappeared.

"He's sleeping now." Tifa was saying as Yuffie slipped in and took a seat near the edge of the room. "We'll have to wait he wakes up to know what happened." There was a pause and Tifa looked like she was considering something. "While were all here though, I mean, we could always celebrate?" Tifa looked up at them all, sheepishly. There was a moment of silence before Cid spoke up.

"Why the fuck not? You still all haven't met the little guy." He nodded his head towards the infant in his arms. "Besides, we can always celebrate again when Red wakes up." Shera shrugged in agreement and Cloud clapped his hands together.

"Alright then, let's get this going!" The bar erupted in a flurry of movement and Yuffie snickered to herself. You could tell that a group has been through a lot when one is nearly killed and you still find the time to party.

"Yo Cid; what's the little fella's name?" Barret's voice thundered across the room.

"Uh, well, you see-" Cid was cut off when Shera gently took her son from the pilot.

"We haven't decided yet." She called to Barret who shot a 'what the fuck's wrong with you look' as Cid. Cid just shrugged and pulled out a cigarette.

* * *

An hour or so later most of the party had split into smaller subgroups as people milled around and caught up with one another. Denzel and Marlene were taking turns checking on Red although Yuffie noticed that Denzel made an awful point of hanging around Shelke whenever he had a free moment. She always knew that kid had horrible taste. Yuffie had talked to almost everyone so far, save for Vincent and Shelke, obviously, but had always left the conversations when someone brought up her recent absence. Hopefully they would start to get the point and stop asking. Currently she was watching Shelke and Tifa talk near the bar; she hadn't realized it before but Shelke did seem rather different. She had heard her speak earlier and she seemed to actually be on singular name basis with everyone which majorly reduced her creepy scale. She was a bit taller too and looked as though she had actually aged. She still wore a simple pink dress but she wore here hair in a short braid that was pulled back from her face now. Yuffie grimaces and turned away as Tifa laughed at something that Shelke had said. Her eyes fell upon Vincent who was sitting on the edge of the bar, away from any conversation. She bit her lip, wondering if she should go over. When she had seen him earlier she had just been so happy for the save from Reeve that she hadn't stopped to think about where she stood with good old Vinnie. It had been two years since she'd talked to him after all and what she last said hadn't gone very well. Perhaps he had forgotten? She shook her head feeling stupid. Of course he hadn't forgotten; this was Vincent Valentine for Leviathans sake. She looked back over to where he was sitting only to find him gone. Spinning around she glanced around the room wildly before she spotted a hint of a red cape fluttering around the doorway to the porch. Taking a deep breath she marched towards the door, no use putting it off.

She felt her confidence waver as she stepped out onto the porch and saw him leaning against the porch, a cigarette dangling from his clawed hand.

"Uh, Vinnie?" She asked quietly, looking at her feet. He merely looked up at her. After a couple moments she realized that he was waiting for her to continue. She laughed nervously and brushed the hair from her eyes and she took a step forward.

"I just wanted to say, uh, well-" Her voice caught and she cleared her throat "About the last time I saw you that I'm sorry about, uh, about the things I said." She was still looking at her feet and she heard him sigh. A moment passed before he spoke.

"It's in the past now Yuffie."

"I know but it's still-" He cut her off, a slight tone in impatience in his voice.

"What you said was wrong, you had no right, but you had your reasons whatever they may be." She looked up at him sharply, what an unbelievably un-Vincent like thing to say. He looked down at her, understanding her expression. "Things have changed Yuffie, you've been gone a long time." He took a drag of his cigarette and Yuffie nodded, not sure what to say. Another moment of silence passed before she turned and began heading back inside; his voice cut through the night air and stopped her.

"Things have changed but not that much; I will not forgive so easily a second time." She looked back at him but he wasn't looking at her; taking a deep breath she stepped back indoors.

* * *

The next few days were getting everyone settled in the bar. Reeve would stay at the WRO and Shelke would go back to Kalm but it was decided that everyone else would stay in the bar until they got to the bottom of what had happened. Yuffie was surprised to see that Vincent didn't live in the area but when she had asked Tifa the older woman had said that he usually just gets a room at the WRO or an inn somewhere. Red had woken up the day after he arrived but hadn't been able to tell them much. He said he had been attacked by a cloaked figure that was able to move much faster than he could, so fast that he couldn't see his attacker at times. He had been near defeat when Cid's airship had neared and the assailant had fled. Yuffie had felt incredibly guilty when she realized that she may have seen the assailant as she was leaving and had done nothing, she had shared her information but it hadn't gotten them any further. After some discussion it had been decided that the aggressor had most likely fled because he had thought that the airship had possibly held all of AVALANCHE. Reeve was currently trying to find any leads but so far had come up with nothing. On the third day Yuffie was sitting at a table in the bar, just about bored to tears. Nobody else was around and she was attempting to make a card house, unfortunately it had just collapsed for that must have been the eighty-fourth time.

"Well I hate you too" She grumbled at the pile of cards on the table as she brushed her hair out of her face for what must have been the eighty-fourth millionth time. Her headband had 'mysteriously' been lost in the wash (Just because it was falling apart didn't mean it wasn't fit to wear for a while longer, not that Tifa couldn't see that) and she hadn't bought a new one yet. She sighed heavily and she once again brushed her hair from her eyes and almost screamed out loud when she felt a cool pair of hands running through her hair and pull it back for her.

"Do you have any idea how annoying it is to see you do that every three seconds?" Vincent's rough voice came from behind her. The next thing she knew he had tied it back and had stepped away from her before she could react.

"Uh, thanks" She mumbled, feeing herself turn red though she didn't know why.

"How's Red?" He asked in reply and she stood up quickly.

"Uh, I'm not sure. I was just going to go see." She turned and walked quickly into reds room. He was sitting up and yawning when she walked in.

"Hello Yuffie, good morning."

"You mean good afternoon?" She grinned at him. "Feeling better then?"

"Much, I believe I am fully healed." He jumped off the bed and stretched on the floor. Yuffie crouched down and scratched him behind the ears and sighed happily. As she was scratching she felt her fingers slide over a bump and stopped.

"What's this?" She asked quietly and spread his fur in that spot. There was a small medal object that was half planted into his skin. Yuffie took in a deep breath and covered the device.

"Vinnie-Vin-Vinner-Vin?" she called in her most annoying voice, she'd had a lot of practice. After a moment Vincent walked slowly to the door with a look that would have made Sephiroth cry on his face. "Would you look at something for me?" She batted her eyelashes at him. He simply stood there so she mouthed to him. "_Red has a device on him, I think they might be able to hear us_." Vincent walked forward briskly and knelt beside them. He lifted her hands gently from where they covered the device and she pulled them back from him sharply, wincing as one of his claws sliced the side of her hand. Not noticing Vincent used his clawed hand to gently pick the small metal apparatus out of Red's fur, Red growled lowly as it tore from the skin.

"It's a tracking device Yuffie, they can't hear us." He said as he looked at it.

"Oh" She said, feeling a little silly "Well that's good."

"They still know where we are though."

"That's" She paused, again feeling stupid. "Not good" She finished lamely. Vincent stood quickly and walked out into the bar, Yuffie and Red followed. Vincent was standing near one of the windows and was holding the tracker up in the light. After a moment he lowered it.

"It says something on the side."

"What says something? Cloud had walked into the bar, carrying a box.

"We found a tracker on Red." Yuffie said, walking over to Vincent to look at it. Cloud put the box down quickly and rushed over, taking it from Vincent.

"Is it still activated?" He asked quickly and Yuffie shrugged. The four of them were silent for a moment as each contemplated what to do next. Feeling her attention wane Yuffie noticed a stray hair on Vincent's cloak and reached up to pick it off. He glanced down at her actions and suddenly reached up to grab her hand. He turned it gently, looking at the cut on the side of it with a questioning look on his face. He glanced down at his gauntlet and closed his eyes for a moment.

"I'll get you a bandage." He mumbled but she shook her head.

"It's nothing really." She pulled her hand away and looked down. "So, uh, what should we do next?"

"I'll take it to the WRO." Vincent replied immediately, no longer looking at her. "They can analyze it there." Cloud nodded to him and Vincent left quickly leaving Yuffie and Red to simply stare at each other.

* * *

Within two hours everyone had assembled at the bar. Reeve had just entered, Vincent next to him, and was standing at the front of the room while everyone sat down and waited for him to begin.

"We analyzed the device and couldn't find any activity. Our best guess is that Red's assailant placed it on him in a panic when he saw the airship approaching but didn't have a chance to activate it. We were, however, able to read what it said on the side. It bears the inscription 'Pyramid Co.'." He cleared his throat before continuing. " We searched our databases and there was a company by that name in Midgar before Meteor, if specialized in equipment like this."

"You said before meteor though." Tifa said, confused. "That means it hasn't been around for at least five years."

"Not officially no." Reeve replied. "The building is still there though and as we know there are still many secrets in Midgar." Cloud stood up and walked next to Reeve.

"I say we go check it out, see if we can find anything."

"I have a layout of the building." Reeve said, pulling out a rolled up piece of paper. He laid it out on the table and Cloud looked down at it.

"Alright then; Me Tifa and Red will go through the front, Barret and Cid will go through the back and Yuffie and Vincent will go in from the roof. If there's anything there we'll take it by surprise." Most people nodded but Tifa looked over between Vincent and Yuffie and back to Cloud curiously. Taking her cue Yuffie spoke up.

"Me and Vinners? Come on, that's just depressing."

"The two of you are the most agile, it will be easier for you to get to the roof if there isn't easy access." Yuffie had a mental image of Barret and Cid trying to scale the side of the building and shrugged.

"Everyone clear?" Cloud looked around, when nobody objected he opened his mouth. "Let's m-" He was cut off with a chorus of moans and Cid shouting 'you fucking pussy!'.

Half an hour later everyone was geared up. Shera was to stay at the bar with the kids and Reeve was heading back to the WRO to prepare backup troops in case they were needed. Right before they were about to head out Tifa approached Yuffie.

"Are you alright with the partners?" She asked quietly, so no one else heard, and Yuffie looked up at her, confused.

"Why wouldn't I be?" The younger woman asked and Tifa paused before speaking. "I didn't want to say anything because it looked like your business but I saw you go out to talk to him at the party and you didn't look very happy when you came back in. Is, er, there something going on?"

"No, nothing at all." Yuffie shook her head violently, not even bothering to consider what Tifa may be implying. "Just some stuff that happened a long time ago." She mumbled when Tifa continued to stare at her.

"Like when you left the WRO?" Tifa asked, staring her straight in the eye. "You know-" Yuffie cut the woman off.

"Later, okay Tifa? I promise." With that Yuffie ran over to stand next to Vincent. She could swear he had been watching them.

"You ready for some fun Vincent? If you're good I may even teach you a thing or two." She winked up at him and he turned away though she could have sworn that she had seen the faintest hint of an eye roll.

* * *

Pretty soon they had arrived at the complex and split up into their groups. Yuffie had forgotten just how scary the ruins of Midgar were these days. Everything was rusted and falling apart and in places weeds had even begun to grow over the metal. The Pyramid Co. was no different. Its windows were cracked and there was a substantial layer of mud over the building. Currently she and Vinnie were climbing a fire escape that had definitely seen better days. Vincent was ahead of her and had already reached the roof. She was almost there when she heard a great creaking sound and felt the platform below her give away. Acting fast she grabbed the railing in front of her and jumped onto it, using it to propel her jump on to the roof. She made it but stumbled into Vincent while landing who tripped and nearly fell over.

"Hehe, sorry Vinnie." She said sheepishly as he glared at her and motioned for her to be quiet. He crouched behind a vent and pulled her with him, looking out across the rooftop. She pointed to a roof hatch near the corner of the building.

"It might be smarter to go in that way than the door if there's something waiting for us." She whispered. He nodded and they stood to make their way across the roof. Suddenly a sharp ringing split the air and Yuffie grabbed her conformer, Vincent his death penalty, and prepared to attack. When nothing attacked they both realized that the persisting noise was that of a cell phone ring. Vincent glared daggers at Yuffie and hissed at her.

"Yuffie turn that off!" She glared back at him.

"You asshole, that's not even mine!" He froze and quickly dug in his pocket to turn off the offending device, she had half a mind to push him off the roof. They stood there for a moment before Vincent simply turned away to head across the roof.

"What, no apology?" Yuffie hissed, wondering if he was quick enough to block her conformer. He looked back at her briefly before crouching next to the hatch. Preparing his weapon he ripped open the hatch and aimed into the hole. Nothing happened, relaxing he motioned for her to enter and followed. Inside the building was just as depressing as the outside. There was nothing but old desks and papers strewn about the floors. Room after room after room they found nothing. The papers were mostly receipts and invoices, nothing that would help him. The only bit of excitement they had was when they heard movement and got ready for a fight only for it to turn out to be Barret and Cid. Yuffie briefly considered starting a fight anyways just to see who would win. She and Vinnie would totally kick ass. After going through a few more rooms Yuffie pulled out her phone to call Cloud and complain. The minute she turned it on however it began to ring loudly and she answered it.

"Yuffie, get the others and get back to the bar quick. We were tricked." With that Reeve hung up and Yuffie spun to relay the message to Vinnie. They quickly backtracked to find Cid and Barret and the four of them sped off in search of the others.

* * *

Within half an hour they were rushing back into the bar, Cid at the front calling for Shera. The door was broken off its hinges and Yuffie feared the worst as they headed inside. What met them however, was not what she expected.

"Well if it isn't the hotshot AVALANCE team. Great job on this one you guys, leaving your women and children unprotected." Reno said with a smirk as he leaned against the bar. Rude stood next to him, glancing at Tifa from beneath his glasses. Yuffie looked over to see Cid hugging Shera who looked as though she had been crying. Marlene was sitting Next to Denzel who had a sizable bruise on his cheek and Elena was in the corner holding Cid's son.

"Elena!" Reno called. "Stop being such a woman and do you job!" He chuckled to himself as Tifa shot him a nasty glare and Elena flushed, handing the child to Marlene and walking over to the other turks.

"What happened?" Cloud asked Reno sharply. Reeve walked into the room from down the hall.

"The device was a trick. We analyzed it further and realized that it had been activated but was shut down. We assume that once they had the location they shut it off, the inscription was a diversion, most likely so that they could hit us where it hurts." He glanced over to Shera and the kids."

"Old Reeve here requested us." Reno nodded towards Reeve.

"You have a deal with the turks?" Cloud asked Reeve and the older man shrugged.

"The WRO may have some negotiations with Rufus."

"So for the moment, we work for Reeve." Elena said, smiling as Cloud.

"We got here just in time." Rude said simply and Reno continued for him.

"There were two of them, one real fast one and a girl. They didn't stick around long after we got here." He said with a cocky grin.

"Must have known that we weren't far behind." Barret shot back at him, grinning as well.

"Whatever the case, the kid." He motioned as Denzel " Was holding them off from the others; barely." Said Reno, scowling. There was a moment of tense silence before Reeve broke it.

"We're sending Shera and the kids back to Rocket Town. Reno, Rude and Elena will stay with them for the time being. Cid, if you'll-"

"Of course I will." Cid growled, cutting him off. The conversation continued like this with barely made plans and uncertainties into the night until Cid left with his party. Reeve left for the WRO and everyone else sat in the bar, quietly. No one wanted to talk about how much they had screwed up, how much they could have lost. Yuffie sighed and stared out the window. Why did it feel like every time they made a little progress they always ended up in the same place?

* * *

**Review please!**


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